USDA chief: Mad cow testing to be accelerated

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Wednesday her agency plans to accelerate testing bovines for mad cow disease.

In testimony before the House Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee, Veneman said the department would accelerate its plans to double the level of cows tested annually to 40,000.

Her comments followed the Tuesday testimony of USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins before the Senate Appropriations Committee. He said the $33 million in spending proposed by the Bush White House during 2005 for the agency's animal identification system is only a portion of what is needed for a national identification system.

The proposed system was announced following the detection of a single case of the disease in a Washington State cow late last year.